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One might speculate whether Cricket Australia deliberately prefers to be unclear about player availability or simply has a deficiency in public relations, but yet again, the fitness of players and the makeup of the XI must be deduced from the selection in the larger squad for the Brisbane match.

Normally, an identical team list would not attract attention, but on this occasion it is, due to the anticipated changes involving both key players, none of which has come to pass.

Cummins is the surprise for his omission, with the team skipper and fast-bowling leader progressing in rehabilitation from initial symptoms of a stress fracture. The sole official statement was a brief mention with the team announcement stating that Cummins is scheduled to go to Brisbane to continue his preparations.”

Insider reports support the view that everything is on track and his healing is proceeding well, with a probable return to the team in the near future. In theory, Cummins could even join the Brisbane squad in coming days if deemed fit by staff. However, something the claims doesn’t add up.

Going back to when Cummins’ scans were cleared in last month, starting the clock on his return to play, all public commentary from the player and board schedules indicated he would just be unavailable for the initial match and was scheduled to train at nearly full tilt with the team during the match. The head coach remarked, “He will be up and bowling in Perth, and fans will wonder why he’s not playing.”

After returning to his home city following the victory in the west, he was observed practicing in the state facilities without any visible restrictions and, importantly, was training with a pink ball, what one would assume as readiness for the Brisbane day-night game.

What prompted the shift, more than four weeks since he indicated requiring four weeks to build up bowling loads, and with less than a week to go in the Gabba? Additionally, there are eight more days of rest between matches. If the latter is Cummins’ destination, it will be more than seven weeks since he resumed bowling.

This is acceptable: medical opinions evolve, medical staff can be conservative, athletes might take care. It’s just peculiar is that during the most anticipated and closely followed Test series in Australia’s calendar, the governing body’s representatives seem not to think it reasonable to share updates about the captain’s fitness and availability or the evolving status of either.

If care is the priority with the captain, the reverse is true with the opener’s issue. He had muscle spasms in the first Test during brief periods on the field, keeping Australia’s usual opener from doing so in the match and from making an impact when he eventually batted. Even if his symptoms have subsided, the newness of the problem surely leaves some risk that they could return in the heat of the next Test.

His inclusion suggests he is set to return to the top order, even though his replacement scored a historic hundred in his place. He wouldn’t be selected as a reserve or to bat down the order. But again, there is no confirmation about this, only the squad listing.

This doesn’t mean that teams should have to give a whole XI when announcing selections, and plans can change. However, certain decisions are clearer than others, and given the way Head’s whirlwind drew fan interest, it would cause no issue to confirm where those two players are due to bat. Some uncertainty in sports is a good thing, but creating it out of the broadly obvious is needless. For those aiming of winning over audiences, communication goes a long way.